With social networks like Facebook and Twitter (and now Google +, though far less frequently) it has become commonplace for spam accounts to friend or follow you. In the early days of Twitter, it was far easier to recognize spammers right away. Those fake account holders have gotten smarter and often you don’t know a spammer until much later, if at all.

Why It’s Important To Remove Spam Accounts

It is vital to remove these spam accounts. If you are being followed or are friends with too many spam accounts, it saps credibility away from your brand. If your policy on Twitter is to follow anyone who follows you, then too many spam accounts may even make legitimate business think your account is spam.

How to Tell If an Account Is Spam: Twitter

There are a few basic steps you can take to ensure a new follower is not a spammer or bot. One dead giveaway is to take a look at the profile picture and most recent tweets. If the profile picture is a half clothed woman and her tweets are links to things like “her pics”, chances are it is spam and you should both un-follow and block them.

Unfortunately, it is no longer as simple as previously mentioned and modern spam accounts are improving their appearance of legitimacy. Another tip is to inspect how frequently the person tweets and if there is any substance behind them. If the account tweets once every few months, and only conveys things like basic information, such as the score of a recent sports game, it is probably a spam account. If ever you are unsure as to whether or not an account is spam, the best course of action is to avoid clicking any links from the account and send them a direct message. In the message, ask them to say the word “blue”. If their reply includes the word then the account is manned and is probably all right to follow back.

How to Tell If an Account Is Spam: Facebook

Facebook natively handles spam accounts better than Twitter, if for no other reason than anyone can follow you on Twitter, while you have to confirm every friend on Facebook. The first and most important tip I would offer is that if you are operating a Facebook account for your business then get a business account. If users only “like” your page and then receive updates, you don’t have to worry about removing spammers from your “Friends” list. If you do have a traditional account, however, the best tool you can utilize for rooting out spammers is the messaging feature. Send the new account a message and strike up a conversation. If they talk back and forth you’re probably fine; but if you never receive a reply or get a reply consisting of generic information, then it is most likely spam.

Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at Online Degrees, where recently she’s been researching different Physical Therapy Aide Programs and blogging about student life. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.